An ESR forensic scientist found blood-soaked items in the rubbish outside the apartment of the man accused of raping and murdering Blessie Gotingco a year ago.
A 28 year-old man, with name suppression, has denied charges of rape and murder and is on trial at the High Court in Auckland. He is representing himself in the trial.
The accused. Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
Listen to Radio New Zealand's Edward Gay who was in court today
ESR scientist Fiona Matheson said some of the items, including tissue and toilet paper, showed signs they had been used to clean up blood.
She said some were still wet and had recently been used when she conducted her searches in May last year.
Ms Matheson said some of the items had diluted blood on them and could have been mixed with a cleaning product.
The Crown says the accused ran Mrs Gotingco down before bundling her into his car and taking her back to the apartment where he raped and murdered her.
Mrs Gotingco's body was found wrapped in a sheet in bush behind a cemetery in May last year, two days after she went missing.
Man tells court of swerving to avoid woman
Junior Anau told the High Court in Auckland today he was driving a friend home on the night of 24 May last year when he narrowly missed a woman standing in the middle of Salisbury Rd on Auckland's North Shore.
Mr Anau said a BMW had been closely following him on Salisbury Rd, and after swerving to avoid the woman, he pulled over to wait for its driver because he was going to give the driver a hiding for following so closely.
He said the BMW didn't arrive, so after five minutes he drove off.
The Crown said the accused was driving his BMW when he purposefully ran down Mrs Gotingco before abducting her.
Accused disputes knife evidence
Earlier today the accused said the defence case would be that a bloody fish filleting knife found in his kitchen was not used on her.
He cross-examined Detective Roger Taylor, who searched his apartment in May last year in the days after Mrs Gotingco's body was found, about a fish filleting knife found in his kitchen two days after he was arrested.
The accused said the police were responsible for the blood on the knife.
"That knife was never used on the deceased; that blood got there as a result of the police investigation. It didn't get there any other way."
But Mr Taylor told the court police wore overalls, gloves and booties to protect the scene and no one entered the accused's apartment without his permission.
Asked if blood could have got onto the knife through contamination during the police search, Mr Taylor said there was no way whatsoever.
During the Crown opening, prosecutor Mike Walker told the jury that a knife and sheath found at the accused's home were linked to Mrs Gotingco through DNA tests.